Page 146 - ShowSight - May 2020

The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen is one of four sizes of the “BGV” breeds. They are the second smallest. The other breeds are the Grand Griffon Vendéen (the largest), the Briquet Griffon Ven- deen (next down) and the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (the small- est). They were bred in the Vendée province in France for the pur- pose of hunting on foot: hare, roe deer, and wild boar. Our GBGVs hunt our property in Temecula today, with our bitch Dyna giving “voice” while on the lead of the hunt, and Jimmy following behind, although he is very fast and does a good job catching the bunnies that are too slow! The GBGVs are a pack animal and require the attention of their humans to be happy—they can have an edge, they are hunters after all, but with proper training and care make won- derful pets! The hard, rough coats require, at minimum, weekly brush outs and the hair around the face must be trimmed to be kept clear of the eyes. If they were to be used for hunting in the brambles of Vendée, most of the coat would be ripped out, so stripping is a must. Pet owners can utilize a “Coat King” to rake out the old hairs, show dogs can require much hand-stripping to stay in top shape, depending on the coat.
How do we think Hounds have adapted to the change to indoor living? I cannot speak to other Hound breeds, but can say that GBGVs bred today are very adaptable to living a “life of luxury” in a home as opposed to a kennel. They will happily take over the couch! They require a good run at least several times a day, and a well- fenced yard is a must or this scent hound will be gone! They can be a bit headstrong and will pull hard on a leash following every scent, so if you prefer a dog that will calmly walk the neighborhood, this may not be the breed for you. However, with proper training, they can be taught to obey. (For the most part they are chow hounds, love training treats!) They can be used for performance events, obviously scent work, but also agility and rally. They love treats and their humans. They also can be used for the hunt. There are breeders in Europe that use the dogs that way and the photos of the wild boar hunts with a pack are very spectacular!
Current overall quality of our breed? Currently, our breed here in the US is all over the map, we have not yet reached the point where consistency has been reached. Unfortunately, we lack numbers (in both dogs and breeders) and the diversity required to obtain qual- ity in every breeder’s vision of a proper GBGV. It’s always nice to have an FCI judge with experience in the breed come here and find our dogs in their line-up. It will take a lot of time before the AKC judges have enough experience with the diversity of hounds that are seen elsewhere to give GBGVs here a sound and solid understand- ing of the breed. I hope that judges will have the opportunity to either judge or spectate abroad at some of the large shows to educate themselves as to the proper basics of the breed.
What changes have we seen during our time involved in the breed? Having only been involved personally in this breed for five years, I can only attest to the change from moving from the Mis- cellaneous to the Hound Group, it was epic for us! Interest has definitely been piqued. Just being out in public at restaurants our dogs garner a LOT of attention! We get stopped all the time at dog shows by both exhibitors and spectators who want to know about our breed and ask about puppies!
Any shift in the balance of popularity among breeds, and why? Unfortunately, with the AR groups and so many of the public believing in “adopt don’t shop” as the best solution for a pet, yes, the purpose-bred dog is in danger whether a Hound or other breed. We need to come up with our own marketing. Maybe the AKC could get more involved?
Any particular challenges that we face in our current economic/ social climate? Fortunately for us, we are retired, with pension, etc., to keep us afloat—we feel for those in the fancy who are strug- gling. We hoped to have a breeding, however, at our age (I know, I know, many will say we’re still young enough!) and with the current
situation with COVID-19 affecting the entire world, not just dog shows—not sure it will happen any time soon. We are basically on lockdown here for the past six weeks.
Any trends we see that we hope will continue or we’d like to see stopped? Trends in any industry, including dog shows, come and go. I hope that the current trend of loving support (for the most part) of one another continues and that we really appreciate what we do have and each other.
The biggest pitfall awaiting new and novice judges? In our breed, the biggest pitfall facing new judges today is probably the fact that they are not able to hear from all of the breeders that we have here in the US who have obtained their foundation dogs from Europe and hear why they chose to import and then breed dogs from those breeders. We have a very limited AKC judge’s education program. I am sure the powers that be find it to be sufficient, but personally I think we could use all of our examples of good breeding. Granted, we only have a handful of breeding kennels, maybe a half dozen, but it would be nice to see some diversity in the judge’s education.
There are numerous Hounds that are considered “glamour” breeds, and some that are more familiar in make and shape. Does this affect their recognition in Group and Best in Show compe- tition? I would hope that judges don’t just look to the “glamour” of a breed and instead look for conformation as to the breed stan- dard. And, hopefully, they have actually read and studied the stan- dard. I applaud the AKC judge I shared an elevator with after din- ner at a show. She had a glass of wine in one hand and a folder with breed standards in the other. She said she was “brushing up for tomorrow”!
The funniest thing I have ever seen at a dog show was when we were at a venue with a lot of gopher holes and, during the go around, one small baby poked his head up, right in front of my hounds! He was startled and made a run for it, then froze! The handlers had their hands full, but managed to keep my GBGVs in check. The judge called for a halt to the judging and a handler walking by calmly, jumped the ring fence, picked the baby up and put him in another gopher hole a short distance away outside the ring—much to the disappointment of my hounds! And the handler kept going on his way!
NANCY WINTON
I live in Tucson, Arizona, with six Treeing Walker Coonhounds. I got my first one in 1983, a stray in California. I had hunter jump- ers for 20 years. I am a retired Dental Hygienist, ran an animal talent agency here in Arizona and was a professional classical singer.
A brief overview of my breed’s purpose, temperament and level of care: Treeing Walkers have been used for many years as a raccoon tracker and also tracking [mountain] lion and bear. They are a high energy breed, but have an “off” switch. They are bred to hunt and then come back and play with the kids. Treeing Walkers are an easy keeper, wash-and-go type dog.
How do I think Hounds have adapted to living indoors? What I love the most about this breed is the fact that they are adaptable. I have a couple of high prey dogs and as long as they can hunt something (squirrels, lizards or a rabbit sometimes) they do just fine living in the house.
The current overall quality of the breed? Currently, in my opin- ion, as an UKC/AKC bench show judge, breeders need to focus more on correct structure and movement.
What changes have I seen during my time involved in the breed? I have seen a correct structure change for the worse, due to the bench show breeders breeding for straight shoulders and being rewarded for it.
Any particular challenges that I face in our current economic/ social climate? Living on the West side of country, all big prestige
144 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2020
HOUND GROUP Q&A